Cannibal 'wanted to get married'

Meiwes was described in court as friendly and sensitive

Self-confessed German cannibal Armin Meiwes was a "childlike" figure who wanted to marry and have children, two female witnesses testified on Friday.

The women, who were not identified, gave evidence on the eighth day of Mr Meiwes' trial in the city of Kassel.

They said he had tried to develop a relationship with each of them, but they denied having had sex with him.

Mr Meiwes, 42, has admitted killing and eating Bernd-Juergen Brandes, but says he is not guilty of murder.

Prosecutors accept that Mr Meiwes had his victim's consent, but claim that he killed for his sexual gratification.

His lawyers say he was guilty at worst of "killing on demand".

While murder carries a life sentence, the lesser charge - brought in cases of "mercy killing" - is punishable by up to five years in prison.

'Sensitive'

The court heard evidence from a 39-year-old woman who described Mr Meiwes as a friendly and sensitive person.

"He came across as being very childlike," she said.

She said she had decided against a relationship with Mr Meiwes when he told her of his homosexual tendencies.

"We never had any sexual contact," she added.

The second witness, a neighbour, also said he had tried to start a relationship with her and told her he was keen to start a family.

Police tracked down and arrested Mr Meiwes in December 2002 after being alerted to an advertisement he had placed on the internet for a man willing to be killed, carved up and eaten.

When the trial opened last month, he confessed in detail to the killing of a man he met through the internet, engineer Bernd-Juergen Brandes, on 10 March 2001.

A verdict is expected as early as February.